Free-roaming planar motors: toward autonomous precision planar mobile robots

We present what we believe to be the first free-roaming planar motors. Unlike conventional planar motors requiring a tether for air, power, and signals, these planar motor forcers are tetherless and self-contained. We have designed and operated such forcers utilizing both mechanical bearings and air bearings with air supplied by an on-board pump. Considerations of on-board power, bearing means, wireless communications, and systems integration are discussed in the paper. Performance results for the air bearing model are reported, and work needed to develop future practical autonomous precision planar mobile robots based on tetherless planar motors is given.